The invention relates to a mast footing arrangement devised in particular for wind surfboards and being configured in a spherical mode.
As a matter of rule, mast footing arrangements for wind surfboards consist of a joint. This joint has to enable the mast to be swingable to all sides over the water level and to be rotatable about its longitudinal axis. In addition, the mast ought to be swayable not only down to its horizontal plane position, but by several degrees more beyond it, so that the swinging angle must exceed 180.degree.. This is needed due to the fact that the mast footing joint is arranged on the boat body above the water surface and the mast has to be tiltable usually down to the water level.
The hitherto known mast footing joints include a universal joint, which joint is configured so that the mast may be swung to all sides and is disposed rotarily. The universal or cross joints however are complexly built-up and require a considerable material expenditure. Moreover, they are work consumptive in manufacture and expensive in mounting. Besides, they involve high risk of injury, especially for the feet of the user of the surfboard.
Precisely for the latter indicated reason, there already have been proposed other solutions which have been reduced to practice. Thus, there has become known a joint providing a connection of the mast end to the vessel body and ensuring mobility to all sides. Here each of the components of the joint includes a plugging connector for the attachment of the mast and the components or the vessel body. The mast and the components or vessel body are interconnected by means of a central rubber band located in their interior. However, this joint is also constructionally complicated, in particular, since there is to be taken a precautional measure ensuring that the respective component for the body be strongly tied to the boat body and be reliably kept thereby.
Furthermore, there is known a spherical joint mast footing arrangement preventing further inclination of the mast in the vertical plane of the sail board after a certain inclination has been reached. For achieving this, a bolt on the joint is connected to the mast and is guided over a slanting arched path of a double-part shell that is unturnably affixed to the boat body. This notorious joint arrangement considerably reduces the mobility of the mast and encumbers the joint with a lever-like load in the area of the connection thereof, so that the mast footing of the board experiences a strong wear. Now, in addition to all of this, there is obtained a swaying capacity angle not exceeding 180.degree.. Also, the mast could unintentedly surge at the highest section of the path curvature from the board thus ensuing a considerable peril of injury.